Tuesday, March 17, 2015

25. GRILL GIRL (MARINATED CHICKEN BREASTS)

Last night I was a grill girl. Dave’s usually
the keeper of the grill, but he was mashing the spuds, so I took over, and can
I just say YUM!Easiest meal on the
planet, besides baked chicken, is grilled marinated chicken breasts.

This
winter we hardly had winter.It was
temperate to the point of wearing sandals in February.Warm as in the Box elder bugs never did go
away, and mosquitos are feasting on my grandbaby Walt! We will be dealing with
the consequences of a mild, snowless winter here in Utah the whole summer
long.But for now, it’s kinda nice to
just step outside on the deck in your bare feet and inhale that scent of dinner
on the BBQ grill.The East Wing joined
us; Libby and Sherry and Elliott.Little
Quincey was having tantrum time so Katie stayed home to feed Jonah and deal
with Miss Q. My table loves having a circle of humans around it.

This
meal cooks up quickly and effortlessly. Grilled chicken with a nice green salad
is super, but tonight we had it with mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli.

Marinade
for chicken breasts:

There
are lots of marinades, and you can easily create your own. Basically they are
comprised of something acidic, some sort of oil, and some sort of flavoring,
including salt.Here are a few
marinades I use.I rarely measure with
exactness, but the rule of thumb for me is to measure until you earn the right
to not measure, if you catch my drift. You’ll need enough marinade to cover the
amount of chicken you’re using, so the measurements will vary. Mix the marinade
then put boneless, skinless chicken breasts in it. I’ve also used chicken
tenders, which I pound flat and weave onto skewers after they have marinated.
Stir the meat occasionally in liquid.Marinate at least an hour, but preferably a few hours. An easy way to
marinate is to put breasts in a Ziploc bag then add marinade.Keep it in the fridge and knead every 20
minutes. I used marinade #1 last night. It’s the one I use most often cuz I
always have those ingredients on hand.(I added a couple drops of Liquid Smoke to last night’s batch.)

1.1.) 1 can Sprite or 7 UP. (Do not use Diet pop), 1/3
c soy sauce, 1/3 c oil, 1 t. garlic salt.If you are my sister Ann Marie, who can’t have garlic in any way shape
or form, then skip the garlic salt and use plain old salt and pepper.

Remove
chicken from marinade and toss out the liquid.Get grill nice and hot.Cook first three minutes on hot with lid closed so
you get a nice sear on the meat to keep the juices in. Flip after three
minutes. Lower temp to med-hot. and cook an additional three minutes.Depending on the thickness of the breast,
repeat this process till it’s done.Thin
breasts will be done in less than 10 minutes. Test doneness with a knife right
there by the grill. If you see glossy pink meat, cook it longer.If it’s white and even inside, it’s done. Do
not overcook.The breasts will continue
to cook a bit when you remove them from the grate.

4 comments:

Hi Cori, Thanks for sharing your wonderful recipes! I also love your comments with each one you've shared. Particularly loved the things you said about Merlyn in your last post. I'm so glad she joined you in singing again - but I have always loved the other ladies you've had sing harmony with you over the years. You make special music! Also very happy Merlyn is being married again soon. Happy times :)!